Where Love Blooms
by Paige394
Summary: When Hermione's life is thrown upside down, can a certain ex-Hogwarts professor hold the key to her future happiness? WARNING: This will contain fluffyness, I don't do angst. OOC Snape. Rated M just in case.
1. Love Hurts

**Nothing Harry Potter related belongs to me.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 1

LOVE HURTS

Hermione walked from the fireplace, she threw her bag onto the table and took off her coat.

"Ron...Ron, are you in?" she shouted.

The fact that there was no reply confirmed that she was home first. She headed for the kitchen, it would be left to her to make tea again. Just once, she thought it would be nice to come home to someone who would look after her for a change.

Ron's job at the Ministry, where he worked with Harry meant that he did not work conventional hours. Hermione would never know from one day to the next, when or even if he would be home at night. She realised that the work he did was important, there were still many of Voldemort's followers around, wreaking havoc in the dark lords name.

Hermione's job at the Public Library, which was the typical 9 to 5 hours, could not have been more different. Ron had not wanted Hermione to work after they married but she had insisted. If he had thought she was going to be like his mum and stay at home being the good little wife, the wedding would never have taken place at all.

Ron had finally given in to her working mainly because he had no choice, but that had really been the only big thing they had argued over. They had had petty little squabbles but they had always been able to get over them, in the big scheme of things they were a good match.

Hermione loved Ron with all her heart, but there was a little piece of her that wondered if they were together because it was expected that they would be. Sometimes she would catch Ginny giving Harry a look of complete lust, as if she wanted to ravish him right there and then. Hermione sighed as she put the dinner in the oven, she wished that Ron made her feel that way. Yes, she loved him and their sex life was good but she sometimes felt that there was something missing. She did not have any idea what it was, she just knew that it was not there.

After feeding Crookshanks she went back to the sitting room, she picked up a book and settled on the sofa hoping that Ron would not be too late. The clock on the mantle ticked the minutes away as she lost herself between the pages, she felt her eyes getting heavy as she struggled to follow what was on the page. Hermione was startled when suddenly Harry appeared from the fireplace,

"Hermione...!" he started, she knew straight away that something was wrong. Harrys face was etched with pain and his eyes full of tears. Hermione stood up and took hold of his shoulders.

"Harry...Harry...what is wrong? Where is Ron?" she looked him in the eyes, dreading what he was going to say.

"Oh, Hermione," He began, as the tears overflowed and started to fall down his cheeks "He's dead." Harry's voice cracked.

As she tried to process what Harry was telling her she felt the world fall from beneath her feet, the room spun around her as she fell into the darkness.

Hermione felt the softness of the sofa beneath her, as she drifted back into consciousness. She was aware of someone holding her hand and gently stroking her hair, she could hear Harrys voice from the other side of the room,

"He did not stand a chance, as soon as we turned the corner, the curse came from nowhere." She could tell from his voice he was fighting to keep his emotions in check, "It hit him full on Arthur, there was nothing I could do!"

Hermione opened her eyes to see the older man pulling Harry into a hug, both lost together in their grief. Pain stabbed in her chest, how could this be happening? She turned her head, Molly was knelt beside her watching Arthur and Harry, her face was blotchy from crying.

"Molly?" She whispered, the older woman turning to her at the sound of her voice, "Is it true?"

"Oh Hermione dear, yes it is true." Molly said gently, looking into Hermione's eyes "We've lost him."

The tears began to fall from Hermione's eyes and she gave in to the overwhelming feeling of loss, as Molly gathered her into her arms. The two women united in their pain, a wife and a mother gently sobbing together.


	2. A Chance Encounter

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER2

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Hermione blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight as she came out of the Library. The streets were very busy full of families shopping for books and equipment for the coming year at Hogwarts. There were adults trying to hurry through the crowd, little kids that were too busy cooing over their new pets getting in the way of the general bustle of people just trying to go about their normal day.

She made her way down the street, pausing to look in the shop windows but not really looking at anything. It had been over a year since Ron had died and life had moved on. She could hardly remember anything about the first few weeks after it had happened. After the ordeal of burying Ron she had been unable to cope, causing Molly to move in with her. Eventually she had adjusted to her circumstances and she had returned to work. Molly had gone back to the Burrow after a long talk, where Hermione had insisted she would be fine and that life had to move on however much they were hurting.

Hermione was trying to think of something to do, as she found herself with the afternoon stretching unexpectedly empty before her. She had been working constantly and the head librarian had called her to his office and insisted she start taking some time off. He even resorted to threatening her with forced holiday days if she did not start taking some afternoons away from work, so reluctantly she had agreed. She had found that keeping herself busy had helped and not knowing what to do had started her mind to wander and dwell over what had happened.

The fact that no-one had ever been caught for the murder of Ron made it harder to accept. The sheer frustration of not knowing who had done it or why it had happened haunted their thoughts. Especially for Harry who had thrown himself into trying to find out who had done it. Even with the full force of The Ministry behind him he had just hit brick wall after brick wall. They had tried every way possible to trace the unforgivable curse but somehow whoever did it had made sure that it could not be done.

A family sitting outside the tea rooms caught her attention, the parents happily chatting away to each other but it was the young girl sat quietly engrossed in a book that Hermione was fascinated by. Her long brown hair tied up in a ponytail, the pile of books next to her on the table. It was obvious that she was lost between the pages, Hermione wondered what kind of life she would have at Hogwarts, she hoped that she would find good friends to make her years at Hogwarts pleasurable.

Totally in a world of her own Hermione was surprised by a familiar voice.

"Hello, Hermione." it came from behind her, causing her to turn to find Lavender Brown smiling at her.

"Oh goodness me!" she replied, Hermione's hand raised to her chest from being startled back into reality "I have not seen you in ages."

"I know," said Lavender, she threw her arms around Hermione and hugged her tightly "I could not believe what happened to Ron. I'm so sorry."

Hermione stiffened at the mention of Ron, the last thing she wanted to do was to stand in the middle of the street talking to Lavender about him. Actually, she did not want to be anywhere discussing Ron with her at all. She dropped her arms and tried for a change of subject,

"How have you been?" Hermione asked and thankfully Lavender let go and smiled broadly at her.

"Oh! Things are great for me. Have you heard I got engaged? I don't have my ring yet, Draco is going to give it to me on Saturday at the engagement party. I hope it is pretty and not some ugly old family heirloom" Lavender gushed, seeming not to even take a breath. Hermione smiled at the other girls enthusiasm.

"Congratulations, I had no idea you were seeing Draco." she said.

"To be honest it has all happened quiet quickly, a whirlwind romance you might call it." Lavender replied. "Hermione you must come on Saturday, everyone would be so pleased to see you. It is going to be a huge swanky party, Lucius has invited anyone who is anyone, money no object and there will be lots of old friends from school there."

"I don't know Lavender, isn't it a little short notice to be adding a guest?" Hermione replied.

"Oh! Don't be silly, Draco only mentioned you the other day saying he wondered how you were. Anyway there will be so many people there that I am sure adding you won't be a problem, besides I want you there. Please, say you will come, please!"

"Well, it would be nice to see people again, it has been a while since I have been out." Hermione said.

"It's settled then, you will come. I will send an owl with an invite, when I get back. Now I have to dash, so much to do and so little time." Lavender leaned over and kissed her cheek. "bye, see you Saturday."

Hermione watched as Lavender made her way down the street, finally losing sight of her as she disappeared into the throng of shoppers. She realised that she had shopping of her own to do and the first thing she was going to need was an evening dress. She had to admit to herself that it would be good to see some old faces again and she was grateful that she had something to do to fill the afternoon.


	3. Familiar Faces

**All things Harry Potter belong to J K Rowling**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 3

FAMILIAR FACES

Hermione slipped on the high heeled shoes and thanked Merlin for magic. She was not used to wearing heels and without the comfort charm she knew she would have been in agony later. She checked herself in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised by the finished result.

The muted gold colour of the dress she had picked perfectly complimented her honey brown hair which was pulled into an elegant chignon with loose tendrils of her curls hanging down to soften the effect. Adding a simple pear cut champagne diamond necklace Hermione surveyed how she looked in the mirror.

The gown clung to her in all the right places. She had not been too sure when the shop assistant told her it was perfect for her but she had been right. Although it was low at the front accentuating her full breasts, it was still elegant rather than vulgar. The back was more daring, dropping low to reveal a lot of her skin. Hermione was rather pleased that she had not had to use too many charms to achieve the final effect.

She picked up her clutch, made her way downstairs. She had decided to apparate rather than use the floo network as it could get rather sooty and might spoil her dress.

She appeared on the steps of the Merlin Court Hotel, the imposing building towered in front of her. In front of her stood a revolving door, she took a deep breath and entered the lobby. There were a number of people milling about but she headed towards the reception desk. As she neared she saw an events board with "Malfoy & Brown Party" written on it, an ornate gold arrow pointed to a set of open double doors.

Standing in the doorway was a man taking the invitations from people and announcing their names to the room beyond. She handed over her invitation and entered the room. The opulence was staggering, the ceiling was adorned with enormous crystal chandeliers. The mouldings on the walls were covered in gold leaf in fact the whole room dripped money.

In the middle of the room was a dance floor around two sides of it were tables, she noticed that most were already occupied. On the far side of the room were long tables, groaning with the amount of food on them. The right hand side wall was dominated by a huge fireplace with large candlesticks either side. Standing in front of it were Lucius and Narcissa, looking elegant but superior as they observed the room. On a small raised area to the side of the fireplace sat a string quartet, waiting patiently to begin.

Hermione spotted Harry and Ginny, she made her way over to them stopping a few times to say hello to old school friends. Finally reaching them, she hugged them both in turn.

"Well, Lavender was right this must have cost a fortune." she said.

"Yes, we were surprised to be invited but I think Harry's position in the Ministry is the real reason we are here." Ginny observed. "And believe me if we could have got out of it we would have."

"Don't be so harsh, Ginny," Harry chided "Draco and I are never going to be best mates but a lot of time has passed and I think everyone needs to put the past behind them now." Harry said.

Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see a smiling Neville and Luna there.

"Neville, how lovely to see you and Luna, you look positively glowing. How long have you got to go?" Hermione asked, her eyes looking at Luna's very pregnant form.

"Four days, Neville said I should stay at home," she gave her husband a playful nudge "But I wanted to come and see you. If I go into labour because of it I don't care, I've had enough of being huge, the sooner we have this little one the better for me."

They were all smiling at Luna when the voice of the guest announcer called "Severus Snape" causing the whole room to stop mid-conversation, the silence was deafening.

Hermione turned to see her former Professor striding across the dance floor. He was wearing a black evening coat and a white high necked shirt, the only splash of colour coming from his dark green waistcoat. His face showed no sign that he was aware that all eyes were on him. He made his way over to Lucius who seemed even more smug that Snape was present at his event.

Everyone slowly began to talk again, soon the room was buzzing with Snape's name.

"I knew that he was Draco's godfather but I never thought he would come tonight." said Harry, "He never comes to any of these events, in fact you could say he had effectively removed himself from society."

"It must have been hard for him to adjust after the battle, everyone hated him and then suddenly to be thrust into the public eye as a hero of the war, everyone wanting a piece of him. I don't blame him for shutting himself away." said Neville.

Hermione still watched as Snape stood talking to Lucius. The last time she had seen him he had been laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. She remembered frantically searching in her bag for the anti venom and the bezoar, administering them she hoped that it would be enough to keep him alive until they could send help. She had been informed later that he had indeed survived but had requested that he be allowed privacy to recover.

Hermione watched as Lucius indicated to the musicians to begin playing.

"Hermione, so good that you could come." She had been so engrossed in watching Snape that she had not noticed that Draco had approached her. "I was so pleased when Lavender told me she had bumped into you."

"Yes I was pleased to see her too. Congratulations on your engagement." she smiled.

"Perhaps we can talk as we dance. Would you do me the honour?" Draco asked.

Passing her clutch to Ginny she allowed Draco to take her arm and lead her onto the dance floor to join the other guests that had begun to dance.

"I had no idea that you and Lavender were seeing each other." Hermione said.

"Well, it happened very quickly. Father was pushing me to marry and since the war there is a shortage of suitable girls." Draco said matter of factly. "Lavender is not of the best stock but at least her lineage is pure. So Father thought she would be a suitable match, he wants the family line to continue as pure."

Hermione was taken aback at his callous attitude to the woman he was planning to spend the rest of his life with. A part of her knew that some things would never change in wizarding world but to see it first hand was completely different. She pitied Lavender for the life that she would have to endure.

"It is such a shame that you are not pureblood, as you are now free we could maybe have been together." He said as he pulled Hermione closer to his body "Perhaps we may meet sometime? I'm sure we could arrange a more intimate meeting, you know I always liked you."

She stiffened in his arms shocked at what Draco was suggesting.

"Excuse me," interrupted the unmistakable deep, silky tones of her former Professor "May I cut in?"

Draco's eyes flashed with anger, his face flushed as he glared at Snape.

"Hermione is dancing with me." he said petulantly.

"I think it would be more prudent of you to have the first dance of the evening with your fiancée." Snape tilted his head to the side of the dance floor where an obviously nervous Lavender was watching the trio. "I'm sure Mrs Weasley would not mind finishing this dance with me."

Draco released Hermione, he gave a short bow towards her and after a swift glare at his godfather walked off toward Lavender.

"I hope that you did not mind my interruption." Snape said, as he took her into his arms and they began to make their way around the dance floor. "I am so glad that you decided to come tonight as I have been wishing to see you for a while now. I was unsure as to whether you would see me"

"What on earth would you want with me, Professor?"

"Please, call me Severus. I am no longer a professor." He looked down at her with a slight smile. "I never thanked you for what you did. were it not for you I do not believe that I would be here."

Hermione blushed and dropped her eyes to his throat, where she could just see the top of his scar against the high collar of his dress shirt.

"Oh! Anyone could have done what I did for you." she said.

"Yes, anyone could have done but would they have done. You did what you did for me without questioning who you were trying to save. I am sure that not everyone would have been so kind had they been in the same situation."

Looking up into his face she realised how much he had changed. His face had filled out no longer gaunt, his hooked nose seemed to fit better now. The fact he was not scowling made her suddenly aware that he was an attractive man. Her eyes lingered for a second on his lips, how had she never noticed that they were so beautiful? She held her breath fascinated as his tongue slowly ran over his bottom lip.

She was acutely aware of how close their bodies had become, she could feel his thumb as it gently stroked her back. Their eyes locked and she felt like her blood had turned to fire. Her body felt more alive than it ever had as she was lost in the inky depths of his dark eyes.

Hermione could scarcely breathe, she was aware that every fibre in her body was tingling. What was going on, this was Snape the dungeon bat she thought to herself. The intensity of the way he looked at her and his shallow breathing made her realise that perhaps it was not just her feeling this way.

Her eyes once again flicked to his lips, amazed at how much she wanted to feel them on her own. The desire in her body pulled at her core, it had been so long since she had been wanted by a man. Here held close against his body, his arms around her she realised how much she needed this man to want her.

The music stopped, pulling them back into the room. Hermione was aware that some couples close to them were staring. As Severus dropped his arms from her, she felt abandoned longing to stay in his embrace.

Taking her elbow he guided her back to her friends, nodding a greeting to them.

"Thank you for the dance, it was delightful." he smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips. Her skin seemed to burn as he brushed them lightly over it. "Once again, I give you my total gratitude. Good night Hermione." He turned and walked back toward Lucius.

She watched as he spoke to his old friend and then kissed Narcissa on the cheeks, obviously bidding them goodnight. Her eyes were fixed on him as she watched him make his way through the guests to the doors. Before he exited he paused and turned, finding her eyes he gave a slight nod, then he was gone.

What the bloody hell had just happened she thought to herself.

**A.N.** I know some people have commented on Draco and Lavender being together. I hope this chapter clears that up, Lavender is pure breeding stock and Draco is doing what his father wants.


	4. A Visitor To The Library

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER4

A VISITOR TO THE LIBRARY

The wind whipped from the sea, catching his robes as he stood looking out over the water. He looked so alone, Hermione wanted to approach him but was scared that he would reject her. So she stood at the water's edge, too afraid to move.

She felt someone take her hand, turning her head she smiled at the familiar face. They walked toward the solitary figure, the waves crashing beside them. She took strength from the fact she was not alone, together they approached eventually stopping in front of him. His dark eyes found hers, smiling as he held out his hand to her.

She looked to her companion, unsure of what she should do.

"It's time." he said, as he lifted the hand he was holding and placed it in the outstretched one.

She watched as her husband slowly faded away, leaving her alone with Snape. Raising her hand she placed it against his chest, her alabaster skin contrasting starkly against the darkness of his robes. Through the rough fabric she could feel his heart beating a steady rhythm.

He bent his head resting his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. Her hand rose and gently cupped his cheek as she moved her lips to his. Her fingers twisted in his hair as she pulled his head down and opened her mouth to him. His tongue possessing her own as he explored every part of her mouth as she surrendered completely to him.

His hand clasped hers as he bent her arm around her back and he pulled her tighter. Her body melted against his, she could feel his erection through her clothes and she ground her hips against him. She groaned as Severus's hand found her breast, gently squeezing through her blouse. Her nipple hardened against the soft fabric of her bra, the warmth of his hand sending a pulse of longing to her core.

The shrill tone of her alarm clock abruptly pulled her from the dream. She turned her head and buried it in her pillow letting out a groan. She had been thinking of her encounter with Snape for most of yesterday and now it appeared that she could not even escape in her dreams.

The most puzzling thing to her was that she had never thought of him in any way sexual, in all her years of knowing him. So why on earth would one short encounter with him make her feel like there was an overwhelming attraction. She could not be certain but from the way he had reacted while they danced he had felt something too. Hermione wondered as to why it had felt so right to be in Snapes arms. It had made her feel alive for the first time in a long while but she had also felt safe cocooned against him.

She got out of bed and proceeded to get ready for work, trying her best to put the encounter out of her mind for the time being.

After she grabbed a hasty breakfast she left her flat and apparated appearing at the staff door of the library. She entered straight into the staff room and headed over to her locker. She noticed two of the junior girls in the corner making tea, giggling over something. Neither of them noticed Hermione as she removed her coat and put on her work robes.

"Well, I think that he is rather mysterious." said one of them.

"Oh no! He is much too serious for me." the other replied "I like my wizards to have a bit of life to them."

"I would certainly like to try to see how much life he has in him, if you get what I mean." the first girl let out a dirty laugh.

Hermione closed her locker door, both girls turned as they realised they were not alone.

"Oh Hermione, you could help us solve this." the first girl said.

"You'll have to tell me which poor wizard is the subject of your gossiping first?" Hermione replied, she had heard many conversations between the two younger girls over the years and was used to them. She liked the fact that the younger girls would involve her in their conversations, it made her feel as though she was accepted by them even though she was their supervisor.

"It's Severus Snape." the young girl gushed "You could have knocked me down with a broom when he walked through the door. He is so confident, I had seen pictures of him in The Prophet but in real life...Oh my God! He has this aura about him, I could barely answer him when he spoke to me. I don't need to tell you that though, I mean you know him personally, So what's he like then...hot or not?"

Hermione stared open mouthed at the girls, her mind worked fifty to the dozen as the questions filled her head. What on earth was he doing here? Was he here to see her? Should she go talk to him? She could not think straight as she tried to make sense of the fact that Severus Snape was here, in her library. She realised that the two girls were waiting for her to answer,

"I can't really say, what with actually knowing him I never really looked at him like that." She lied, quickly deciding the best course of action was to deny. She really had no desire to be the subject of any gossip that the two girls may come up with.

"Sorry, I couldn't be more help," Hermione smiled and turned around and headed for the door.

She had to see if Severus was still there, she had no idea what she would say to him if he was there. As she entered the main library her eyes scanned the vast room. He was nowhere to be seen but that did not mean he was not tucked away somewhere between the shelves. Noticing the returned book trolley was nearly full, Hermione grabbed the handle and set off for a proper look.

Stopping in each section, she casually replaced some books and moved on. She was beginning to think that he had gone when she approached the herbology section and spotted him sat in one of the comfy chairs, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

For a second everything seemed to stop, her breath caught in her throat as she was able to look at him without him knowing she was there. He wore a similar suit as to the one he always wore in school but he was minus the robe. All those infuriating little buttons, she had often wondered if he used magic on them or would spend time meticulously buttoning and unbuttoning them. His brow furrowed as he concentrated on his book, a look she had seen so many times before in lessons as he had marked parchments while students had struggled over their cauldrons.

She noticed the book he was reading was a muggle one, which pleasantly surprised her. Hermione smiled, it had been her own idea to include non-fiction muggle books on their shelves and it had gone down rather well. Many witches and wizard had commented how they had found useful hints and tips in some of the muggle books.

"Hello Severus." she said. She was surprised at how calm her voice sounded, it belied nothing of the turmoil that she was going through just by being in his presence. "I am surprised to see you, you don't normally come here."

"No, I have come to see you Hermione." the sound of his velvet voice sent goose bumps down her arms "Although I have to admit the variety of books here could keep me occupied for a long time."

"So, what can I do for you?" she asked, curious to find out.

"I do not really wish to discuss it here, I was wondering perhaps, if you have a break sometime that you might join me for some tea?"

"I take my lunch break at twelve thirty," pleased that he was not just going to leave "if that would be alright I would love to join you."

"Very well, there is a little tea shop not far from here would that be suitable?" he asked.

"Yes, it is very good there." she nodded. Hermione knew the shop well, in fact she was a frequent visitor and had spent many of her lunch hours in there.

"Very well." He said, as he picked up a small pile of books from the table beside the chair. "I'll see you there."

Hermione watched him as he walked to the main desk and checked out the books he had taken.

How on earth was she going to concentrate on anything for the next couple of hours, she wondered. She started to return some of the books from the trolley back to the shelves, she could not help but smile. Who would have thought she would be taking tea with Severus Snape?

**A.N. **I know that my version Severus in this story is OOC, not as sarky or rude as we are used to. I wanted to write him as someone who had gone through a near death experience, who no longer faced death on a daily basis and did not have to teach anymore. Someone who had had time to re-evaluate his life and maybe finally live the kind of life that we all take for granted. So I'm sorry but that is the way I wanted him to come across here and maybe it may not be wise to read on if you prefer him canon.


	5. Tea For Two

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 5

TEA FOR TWO

Hermione rushed along the narrow alleyway, she knew she was going to be late and had taken the shortcut from the back door of the library. The high walls of the buildings prevented the warmth of the sun from reaching her and her light dress was little protection from the chill in the alley. She emerged opposite the tea shop and hurried over the road.

The shop was quite busy, Hermione spotted Snape in the far corner once again with his nose in a book. She noticed that he had ordered already, a plate of sandwiches stood in front of him next to a tea pot. She weaved her way through the tables and sat down opposite Snape.

"Hi, sorry I'm a little late." she said. He closed his book and placed it beside them on the table,

"I ordered already, I hope that that was alright?" His eyes finding hers. "I placed a stasis spell, so the tea should still be hot."

"This is lovely, thank you." She took a couple of sandwiches from the plate, they both began to eat in silence.

Unsure of what to say she noticed the book on the table Rare Flowers Of Scotland, she reached across the table and picked up the book .

"I see you are reading one of the muggle books from the library."

"Yes, it is absolutely fascinating. There are flowers in there that I only thought were good for their fragrances but it seems some of them may have medicinal uses I had not heard of." His face became animated as he spoke, his whole demeanor seemed to change as he continued.

"For example the twinflower is quite rare and some people believe it may possess some healing properties. I am sure I saw it growing in the woods at home." Hermione was enchanted by the enthusiasm that Snape showed. The way his eyes lit up as he spoke, it was clear to her how passionate he was about potions.

"I have to return home for a few days, so I may go see if I can gather some to begin some research on it."

"Oh! How long will you be gone?" Hermione asked.

"A few days, I have some personal business to tend to." he replied.

Slightly disappointed that she would not be seeing him soon, Hermione picked at the filling of her sandwich. Silence descended on them again and she was relieved when the waitress approached them.

"Is everything alright? Can I get you anything else?"

"No, we are fine thank you, everything is lovely as usual." Hermione smiled at the girl. She turned back to Snape who was absently stirring his tea, a worried look on his brow.

"Severus, why did you come to the library to see me today?"

His hand stilled at her question but he did not reply. Mentally kicking herself, perhaps she should have not been so forthright and waited until he broached the subject.

Snape coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. he placed his hands together on the table.

"The past few years I have spent mostly on my own, it has given me time to evaluate where my life was going. It took a long time for me to accept that I have been given another chance as to which direction my life could go. Going out the other night made me aware of how I have withdrawn from the company of others." His eyes were fixed on his hands as his fingers nervously twitched while he spoke. "I really enjoyed being in your company, I don't often say that to anyone so I was wondering, if by chance you would care to join me for dinner on Saturday evening?"

"What? You want to take me on a date?" Hermione blurted out without thinking.

As she watched him, his shoulders dropped and he let out a small sigh. Hermione realised that he had been expecting her to say no and had taken her outburst as that. She reached out and placed her hand upon his clasped ones.

"Severus, look at me." she said gently, he slowly raised his head and her eyes found his. "I would love to join you."

"Really?" his expression conveyed one of shock.

"Yes, really." she removed her hand, immediately wishing that she had left it there.

Hermione was relieved as Snape seemed to relax and they fell into an easy conversation until eventually Hermione realised that the plate was empty and the teapot dry.

"This had been really nice but unfortunately I must get back to work." said Hermione.

"Of course. I would not wish for you to be late." Snape replied "I will owl you with details for Saturday."

They made their way from the cafe stopping in the street outside. Hermione turned to face Snape.

"I've had a lovely time." Impulsively she placed a hand on his chest, stood on her tiptoes and gently brushed his cheek with a kiss. "Thank you."

"Allow me to escort you back to the Library." he said

"Oh, that's alright, it is just down the alley." Hermione pointed across the street to the shortcut she used earlier.

"If you are going that way." His gaze flicked toward the entrance, "I insist on escorting you back."

"Really, it is not necessary, I have used it many times before." she replied but she could tell by his manner that she was fighting a losing battle.

They crossed the road and entered the narrow passageway, side by side there was not much room for both of them and Snape's jacket kept catching against the bare skin of her arm. She became acutely aware of how close he was to her as they made their way silently toward the Library.

Suddenly she felt his long fingers grasp her wrist and he pulled her in to a doorway. Pushing her up against the door with his body, his hands rested either side of her head.

"Tell me you feel it, that it is not just me?" His voice heavy with passion, barely a whisper as his dark eyes searched hers, " I need to know, I have been going crazy since I saw you at the party. You are in my thoughts every waking moment."

"No, it's not just you." She said breathlessly.

His hand came to her cheek as he brushed the backs of his fingers gently down it. Hermione gasped at his touch and turned her head into the caress. Snape's mouth crashed down on hers, her hands reached up to his shoulders as she surrendered to him. Hermione moaned as his hands cupped her behind and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, the fabric of her dress gathering up revealing her thighs. She could feel his erection against the flimsy material of her panties as she rubbed her core against his length. His hands massaged her bottom as his weight pinned her to the wall.

She had completely given herself over to the sensations that were rippling through her body. She needed more from him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth she could taste the tea from earlier as she explored every part of his mouth.

Snape let out a groan and dragged his lips from hers, he trailed kisses of fire along her jaw line finally pausing at her ear where he nibbled and teased her lobe. Hermione's hands fisted in his hair and she pulled him back to her mouth, kissing him passionately.

She felt his arm snake between her back and the wood of the door as the other travelled to her bare thigh, stroking up and down. She held him close, the feeling of clothes between them frustrating her. All she wanted was for him to possess her completely, to feel him inside her.

His hand journeyed up to her breast, the flimsy material of her summer dress provided no barrier as his fingers gently moulded around it. Her nipple hardened at his touch and she squirmed against his erection. She had never felt anything close to this before, nothing mattered to her as Snape pulled down the strap of her dress exposing her breast. His head lowered as his mouth claimed her nipple she moaned in pleasure as he nipped at her with his teeth.

Simultaneously, they both stopped as they heard a raspy cough and the footsteps of someone approaching down the alley. She dropped her legs from his waist and hastily made herself decent. Just in time to see a tramp shuffling past the doorway, glancing their way,

"Afternoon." he mumbled and carried on past. Hermione looked at Snape, who was adjusting himself and began to giggle.

"I apologise Hermione, I should have shown more self-control." he said.

"Don't be sorry, I wanted it just as much as you." she took his hand and smiled at him. "Perhaps we should continue this on Saturday, I mean this is not the most romantic of places."

"I think that would be prudent. although how I will last until then is beyond me." He raised his eyebrow and looked at her with a wry smile.

Hermione walked out into the alley, still with his hand in hers and headed for the library. She stopped as they reached the door, standing on the step she turned and kissed him stroking his cheek with her hand.

"Until, Saturday." she smiled and opened the door.

"Until Saturday. Goodbye Hermione." with a nod of his head, he turned and walked away.


	6. True Colours and Misplaced Loyalties

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. .**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 6

TRUE COLOURS AND MISPLACED LOYALTIES

The remainder of the week had passed slowly for Hermione, the only highlight had been the owl she had received from Snape. It had been a short note that did not say much, just details of where they were eating and when he would be picking her up but the fact it was from him had brightened her day.

She had analysed her reaction to him over and over, the way that he had made her feel. She was shocked at how her inhibitions had disappeared and how she had embraced the passion that had overtaken her. She could hardly believe her actions that day, she was normally not like that but something about Severus had made her forget everything else. No one had ever made her body react in that way before and she finally understood the looks Ginny gave Harry. She had often inwardly scoffed at other girls when she listened to them going on about a particular boy, how he made them feel as if he was their whole life. Now she could understand, her thoughts had been dominated by Snape since he left her at the library. She did not know how to explain what she felt or why this man that she had known for most of her life had suddenly become so important to her.

Hermione was busy getting ready, after bathing she had dried her hair into gentle curls which cascaded down her back. It was pinned at either side behind her ears with two floral diamante clips. She was wearing a bathrobe to cover the exquisite underwear she had purchased for beneath her dress.

She glanced at the reflection of the dress hanging from the door of her wardrobe, it was not new but it was her favourite. After experimenting with different colours that afternoon she had finally settled on a deep red. She had tried a number of shades of green to match the underwear but in the end had thought that may be too much. Sat at the dressing table she began to sort out her make-up, normally she would not wear any but on special occasions she liked to make an effort. The sound of knocking from her front door broke the silence, she glanced at the clock it was too early for it to be Severus.

As she descended the stairs she could see the outline of a man through the frosted glass of her front door. Whoever it was would just have to be got rid of quickly, she thought. She pulled the belt of her dressing gown tight, making sure that she was decent before she opened the door.

She was surprised to see Draco stood on her doorstep.

"Hello Hermione." He said "I hope you don't mind me calling on you?"

"Not at all," she stuttered, "but it is a little inconvenient right now."

"I just need to talk to you for a few minutes." He smiled as he stepped forward into her hall, forcing her to take a step back.

"I really do not have time for a visit Draco, perhaps if you would care to call another day." Hermione suggested, she hoped that he would get the hint and leave. He stepped forward again and closed the door behind him.

"Then I will get straight to the point. I was wondering if you had the chance to think over my little proposition from the other night? I think that you and I could be good together."

"Please tell me you are not serious?" Hermione said appalled at the suggestion. "What about Lavender? I'm sure she would have something to say on the matter."

"She is no real match for me, she bores me. Her insipid ramblings about the wedding are driving me to distraction." he said dismissively, "Once all that is over and done with I would have plenty of time for you."

"Draco, I have no wish to ever be in a relationship with you, married or not!" Hermione retorted angrily.

"Oh come now Hermione, don't be too hasty. These kind of arrangements have worked perfectly well for years, my own father being a good example of how it can work well." said Draco, "I know he would not consider you marriage material but I am sure that even he can see the attraction you possess."

"I want you leave, now!" Hermione said determinedly. She stepped forward and reached around to the handle of the door. She only managed to open it slightly before Draco reached out and grabbed her wrist. Hermione recoiled at his touch and pulled her arm away.

"Now, I think that you should re-think your decision." Draco's eyes had hardened and the genial facade he had previously shown had disappeared. Hermione was acutely aware of how helpless she was at the minute, her fingers itched to feel the handle of her wand but she knew it lay useless on her bedside table.

"Hermione, you are a very desirable woman." he drew nearer to her, "I know you have needs."

"You know nothing about me." she replied.

"I know that if I had not paid that filthy tramp to walk down that alley the other day you would have had sex right there, like a common whore." Draco's voice dripped with disgust.

"You've been following me?" The colour drained from Hermione's face, her eyes flicked to the stairs and she wondered if she could make it to her bedroom.

"Let's say I have been keeping an eye on you and I have to say that I'm disappointed with your choice in men." He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered "What could my godfather offer you that I cannot?"

Hermione brought up her hand and slapped him as hard as she could.

"You disgust me. Get out!" she spat at him.

Draco rubbed his cheek where she had hit him, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"I had hoped that we could do this the easy way but I see that is not going to be possible." Before Hermione had time to think Draco grabbed her shoulders and pushed her violently back, his body pressed hers against the wall. She struggled with him trying to reach his wand but he was much stronger than her and easily overpowered her. He had managed to pin her hands above her head, she brought her knee up but was not quick enough as he brought his legs together and pinned her leg between his.

"This is going to be fun!" He brought his mouth to hers but she twisted her head away. "Don't fight it Hermione, I always get what I want."

Hermione whimpered as he pulled open her dressing gown with his free hand to reveal her bra.

"Oh my, what a pretty sight." he lazily traced the lace on the edge of the cup with a finger. "Such a shame to waste it on an old man."

"Severus is more of a man than you will ever be." Hermione retorted.

"You don't have any idea of what kind of man I am, Hermione." He clasped his hand around her breast and squeezed her roughly. She was unable to move, her mind frantically searching for some way that she could stop what was going to happen.

"I would do anything for you!" Draco said "I have waited so long for you, we are meant to be together. I didn't kill that idiot of a husband of yours, for you to throw yourself away on my Godfather."

Hermione's eyes flew open in shock as she tried to take in what she had just been told. She looked into his deranged eyes and knew that what he told her was true. His fingers curled around the edge of her bra, she heard the sound of tearing as he ripped the fragile fabric from her breast. A sob broke from her and she screwed her eyes tightly shut as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. There was nothing that she could do, she was completely at his mercy.

Suddenly, with a violent jolt she was freed as she felt him being pulled away from her. She opened her eyes to see Severus with his arms tightly wrapped around a struggling Draco. Their gaze met for a fraction of a second before he apparated them both away, leaving Hermione alone. She slowly slid down the wall and brought her knees up, burying her face against them, she wrapped her arms around her legs and began to sob.

Hermione had no idea how long she stayed in that position, her mind and body numb, she could not bring herself to move. She found it hard to believe that it had been Draco who had killed Ron and for the most stupid of reasons. She heard the sound of someone apparating followed by the sound of her front door closing.

"Hermione!" the gentle tone of Severus's voice penetrated her thoughts but she did not speak. She felt his arm go around her shoulders and the other under her knees as he lifted her gently from the floor. The feel of the rough fabric against her cheek and the familiar smell of sandalwood comforted her, she curled herself against his chest as he carried her up the stairs.

Her dishevelled hair spread out across the pillow as he laid her on the bed. He sat beside her and she watched as he reached into his jacket a took out a small vial. Slipping a hand behind her head, he raised it from the pillow and put the vial to her lips.

"Here drink this, it's only a calming draught. It will help." he said.

Hermione drank the contents offered to her with no argument, Severus gently lowered her head back to the pillow.

"Did he harm you, are you injured?" his voice heavy with concern. She shook her head, a single tear rolled down her cheek, he reached out and brushed it away with his thumb.

"I dread to think what would have happened if I had not arrived when I did." He said softly, "I was ready early and I decided to take a walk, I found myself drawn to your street. I was going to wait in the square but seeing Draco enter your house my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to see what he wanted with you."

"What will the Ministry do with him? Will he go straight to Azkaban?" Hermione finally spoke.

"He is not at the Ministry, Hermione. I took him to Malfoy Manor with the intention of allowing Lucius to accompany us but I'm afraid it did not work out quite the way I expected it to." He explained, "I knew that there had been incidents previous to this one and Lucius has always managed to cover them up, I was not going to allow that happen again. So I thought if I went with them it could not be brushed aside this time. Unfortunately while we were talking I did not see Narcissa enter the room and before I knew it they had apparated, closely followed by Lucius."

"You let him escape! He's a murderer, he killed Ron and you gave him the chance to escape!" She spat at him, venomously.

"Murderer?" Confusion swept over his face. He rose from the bed and began to pace back and forth. "I don't know what you are talking about. Draco wouldn't...he couldn't. I don't believe it."

"He told me himself, did you not hear him?" Hermione sat up on the bed. her anger growing at the fact he did not believe her.

"No, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." he replied.

"Oh well, that is ok then. Had you known he was a murderer, you would not have given him the chance to get away." Her voice heavy with sarcasm. "I suppose you only let a would-be rapist escape. that is so much better!"

How the hell could he have let him get away she thought, the anger bubbling up inside of her. She blindly reached to her bedside table and grasped at the first thing she could. Launching her alarm clock across the room, Severus manage to avoid it as it hit the door and exploded into tiny pieces.

"GET OUT!" Hermione shouted. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Throwing herself down on the bed, she turned her back to him. As she heard the click of the door closing, once again she began to weep.


	7. Hurt and Confusion

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. **

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER7

HURT AND CONFUSION

The sunlight streamed through the open curtains as Hermione awoke. She did not remember falling asleep but maybe that had been helped by the effects of the calming draught. The events of the previous evening flooded back to her, as she stretched her body a dull ache travelled down her spine. It reminded her how violently she had hit the wall when Draco attacked her, she still could not believe it had been him that had taken Ron from her.

Rising from the bed she caught her reflection in the mirror, still in her dressing gown she could just see the bruises on her wrists showing at the edges of the sleeves. She made her way to the en suite and turned on the shower, removing her gown she saw the ripped material of her bra. A feeling of utter disgust swept through her body, after fumbling with the clasp she pulled the damaged garment from her body. She threw it in the bin quickly followed by the matching panties, she never wanted to see them again.

Hermione stepped under the shower, the warm water ran down her body. Her mind replayed the previous evening, reminding her of everything she had felt from being so scared at what Draco was going to do, to the confusion when he admitted to killing Ron and finally to the anger she felt toward Snape. Had she been right to be so angry at him, now she had calmed down she realised that she may have taken everything out on him. A tear slowly fell down her cheek she placed her head under the falling water, trying not to break down.

"Get a grip, Hermione! This won't help. You have to be strong." she said out loud to herself. Grabbing the soap she began to wash, determined not to go to pieces again. She had to bring Draco to justice, so the first thing she would do would be to contact Harry. Hopefully with his position at the Ministry he would be able to help track Draco down. After drying off she grabbed some comfy jeans and a sweater, pulling her damp hair into a ponytail she opened the bedroom door.

The smell of cooking bacon mixed with fresh coffee hit her senses hard, making her mouth water. She hesitated not sure what to do, she never imagined that Snape would stay. How on earth was she going to face him, when she had no idea how she felt about what he had done. Hermione made her way downstairs to the kitchen, she slowly pushed the door open.

She was surprised to see Ginny at the cooker with what looked like a full English breakfast on the go. Harry was stood leaning on the counter top beside her, he looked as though he had not slept.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed as he noticed her stood in the doorway. Moving toward her he pulled her into a bear hug, Ginny came beside them and placed her arms around them both.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. They broke apart, Ginny moved back to the cooker leaving the two friends to talk. Harry took Hermione by the shoulders "Did that bastard hurt you?"

"Not really, Severus stopped him before he had chance." she replied "Oh Harry! I'm so glad you are here. I was going to contact you straight away, we have to catch him."

"Don't worry we have started already, after Snape called us here last night and explained everything that had happened. I contacted the Ministry and met with them at Malfoy Manor." Harry pushed his hand through his hair. "We have been there all night trying to trace the apparation but it is proving difficult. We think it must be an old escape route that was set up a long time ago and we cannot seem to get a fix on where they went."

"Come, sit down." Ginny interrupted, placing two plates full of food on the table. "You both need to eat, Harry has only just got back." Picking up another plate she joined them as they sat at the table.

"I came back hoping Snape would still be here." Harry said "I think with his knowledge of the Malfoys he might have been able to provide us with information that could help us."

"He stayed for a while after you had gone." Ginny said looking at Harry. "We sat here and talked for a while, he is not the man he used to be. I was surprised at how he has mellowed, I suppose him not being under so much pressure has helped."

Hermione was surprised at Ginny talking about Severus like that, she had held a grudge against him since his stint as headmaster.

"I told him he should stay till this morning but he was adamant that you would not want to see him here when you got up." she continued. "He told us about taking Draco to Lucious, I really think he was doing what he thought was best. I mean he has been friends with them for many years and he let his guard down because of that friendship."

"Oh I don't know!" Hermione sighed. "I was just so angry last night."

"You know there are a couple of us who had suspicions about Lucius covering up for Draco at the Ministry." Harry said while brandishing his sausage loaded fork in the air. "But with no proof there was nothing we could do. Severus said he was hoping that going with them this time they would not be able to wriggle their way out of it."

Hermione pushed her half empty plate away and was graced with a disapproving look from Ginny.

"You are getting to be as bad as Molly, trying to feed me up." she said, smiling slightly as she reached over and squeezed Ginny's hand. "I can see what you are trying to say, Severus is a loyal friend and it makes sense in a strange way but..."

"I think you need to talk to him, Hermione." Ginny interrupted "It might help you clear things in your head. We have had a lot to take in, it might become clearer if you hear his side."

"You're right. I will owl him now, I think I need to see him." she said as she rose from the table.


	8. A Waiting Game

**Everything Harry Potter related belongs to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 8

A WAITING GAME

Hermione sat flicking idly through a magazine, she was not really paying that much attention to the pages before her. The last few weeks had been filled with trying to locate Draco. Harry had gotten permission from Kingsley to allow her to be involved at Ministry level and being one third of the golden trio had some perks. While she had the chance of using all the powers that privileged position gave her, she had taken the opportunity to try to find Severus too.

She sighed, she had first sent an owl to him when Harry and Ginny were there but a few hours later the bird had returned with her letter still attached to its leg. She had continued to write him every day but to no avail, the missives always came back, unread and unopened. Her letters had been lengthy at first but now she sent the same one each time,

Severus,

We need to talk,

Hermione.

One afternoon she had visited Spinners End with Harry in the hope he may have been there but she had been disappointed to find the old terrace house boarded up. It was obvious from the detection spells they had cast that no one had been there in a long time. She had also kept an eye on any illegal magic reports, port keys or unauthorised apparations just in case his name had cropped up. She recalled her last words to him had been that she never wanted to see him again and it seemed that she was not going to.

The familiar sound of beak tapping against glass brought her back from her memories. As she rose she glanced at the clock on the mantel piece, she noticed that the owl was earlier than normal today. Perhaps this time there would be an answer her hopes rising as she made her way toward the window.

She moved the curtain back and was surprised to see the unmistakeable tuft of white chest feathers of Harry's owl. She slid the window up, leaving enough room for the owl to enter but he stayed on the ledge.

"You not coming in today then, Brian?" she asked. The owl hooted several times and held out his leg with a message attached toward her. If that owl could speak English, she thought she was sure that she had just been told to hurry up. She unfastened the parchment as quickly as she could, without waiting to see if she had a reply the owl turned and flew away into the night.

She closed the window and opened the letter.

Hermione,

Just to let you know earlier today Kingsley came to tell me we had received information from a reliable source as to where we might find the Malfoys. By the time you read this we will already have left by port key. The informant has configured one to transport Kingsley and I, so before you get all high and mighty with me about coming too I had no choice. I asked if we should trust this informant but Kingsley assures me that he puts complete faith in him.

Apparently the local magic enforces would not take kindly to us if we descend on them mob handed thats is why only two of us are going. Also we are told the local giant population would be up in arms if they found us on their territory.

Don't try to contact the Ministry over this as no one will be able to tell you where we are, it is on a need to know basis. Just sit tight and when I have any information I shall contact you as soon as I can.

Harry xx

Sit tight! The words jumped out of the page, how could he tell her to sit tight! When he was out god knows where and doing god knows what! She screwed up the letter and threw it on to the fire in disgust. All she could do was wait.

HG/SS HG/SS HG/SS HG/SS

Hermione awoke to find herself curled up in a most uncomfortable position on her sofa, as she stretched her muscles protested at the movement. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, was it really half past nine. She could not believe that she had slept so late, in fact she could not believe that she had slept at all.

The initial anger she had felt after reading Harry's letter had soon been replaced by worry. She could not help but feel that she should be by Harry's side, both of them together to get justice for Ron. What kind of situation had they been called into? Going by port key was a reckless thing to do, they could be walking right into a trap. Why was Kingsley so sure he could trust the informant? They should have waited until it had all been checked out properly.

"This is no good!" Hermione spoke out loud to herself. She was going to drive herself crazy if she continued to sit her going over things in her mind. She decided to freshen up, grab a coffee and then head over to The Burrows. Maybe spending the day with Ginny and Molly would help, she knew that they were probably feeling exactly like her.

After foregoing her normal routine and just having a quick wash instead of a shower she headed to the kitchen. Making herself a very strong cup of coffee, she then sat down at the table. Once again her mind wandering to what Harry was doing and was he ok?

"Hermione." she heard Harry's voice calling from the other room. Standing abruptly, her wooden chair falling over with a clatter onto the tile floor of the kitchen, she rushed to the doorway of the living room.

Harry was stood in front of the fireplace, Hermione quickly scanned over him. To her relief he looked unkempt and tired but as far as she could see he was unharmed.

"Well?" she said.

"It's over." Harry replied "We got him, he is at the Ministry now."

"Really?" She could hardly believe it.

"Yes, really!" Harry opened his arms wide "I could do with a hug." Hermione smiled at the man in front of her and then ran into his arms.

"I'm so glad you are safe. What happened? Tell me everything." she said.

"I could use a drink right about now." Harry said.

"No problem, I just boiled the kettle up." Hermione stopped hugging Harry and turned to go to the kitchen.

"I was thinking of something a little stronger, if that's ok." Harry flopped down on to the sofa with a bump.

Hermione went to the cabinet and got out a bottle of fire whiskey and a glass, pouring him a shot as she walked over to where he sat. Passing the glass to him he downed the contents in one, he held out his hand for the bottle. She passed it to him and while he refilled his glass she took a seat on the chair opposite him.

"Kingsley told me we were somewhere in Eastern Europe, we appeared on the outskirts of a forest in the mountains. There was a centaur waiting for us and he beckoned us to follow him through the trees." Harry downed another shot of whiskey. "We must have walked for a good half hour when we came upon what looked like an old hunters lodge, where we were told to wait for our contact."

"How could you have been sure that you were not being led into a trap?" Hermione asked.

"I couldn't but Kingsley was adamant that everything was above board and that his contact could be trusted one hundred percent." He replied, "When I saw who it was, I was sure too."

"Who was it?" Hermione asked but somehow she knew before Harry answered who it had been.

"It was Severus, apparently he had been looking for the Malfoys since the night they got away. He told us that he had tracked them down to a house that was used as a safe house for Deatheaters during the war. It was supposed to be abandoned but after observing it for a couple of weeks he had seen enough to know that the Malfoys were holed up there." Harry poured himself another shot and placed the bottle on the coffee table before him.

"How was he? Did he mention me?" Hermione's hopes had taken a great leap forward, perhaps now it was over she would get the chance to talk to Severus. On hearing that Harry had seen Severus she realised that what happened that night with Draco did not matter anymore. If she could just get to talk to him, to let him know that she may not have understood why he did what he did but that she could put it behind them and perhaps see where their feelings for each other could take them.

"He seemed well, he only spoke of you once. Kingsley had popped out on a call of nature. He asked how you were, I told him that under the circumstances you were doing ok. I tried to tell him that you wanted to see him but he dismissed it saying that he doubted very much that was the case and that now was not the time to discuss it." he explained. "That was all he said as Kingsley returned and we started to plan how we were going to approach the house."

Deflated by his words Hermione sat back and waited for Harry to continue.

"Severus warned us that the house would probably have a number of very intricate wards and protections that we would have to break through. He was not wrong, when we got there I doubt that we would have been able to do it without him. He really is a most remarkable wizard but don't tell him I said that." Harry said with a wry smile at her. "Without him we would never have been able to get through. Actually without him I would not be sat here now."

Harry sat forward on the sofa and poured himself another drink. Hermione was desperate to hear what happened but knew that she should leave Harry to carry on at his own pace.

"As we entered the hallway we could hear voices coming from a room at the front of the house. We slowly made our way toward the door but as we reached it Lucius came out of a room behind us." He explained. "Lucius got the first shot off, it would have hit me if Severus hadn't pushed me out of its way. It gave Kingsley and him a chance at a clear shot."

"Did they kill him?" As much as she hated Draco she did not wish that Lucius would have to pay such a high price. She could understand how both he and Narcissa would want to protect their only son.

"No, they both fired off stunning spells which hit him simultaneously. They say he may not come round for days." Harry continued. "We turned to see Narcissa stood in the doorway, I think she must have seen Lucius on the floor and thought that he was dead. For a second no-one moved and then Draco appeared behind her and all hell broke loose."

As Hermione watched Harry, she noticed how tired he looked but his eyed were full of sadness.

"I'm not sure how it happened or who actually cast it but Narcissa was thrown when she got hit by a stunning spell. She fell back straight into the path of an Avada curse that Draco had aimed at Kingsley." Harry paused, and pulled his hand through his hair. "Then as quick as that it all just stopped, Draco just dropped his wand and ran to her body."

Harry slumped back on the sofa. his head back and eyes closed. Hermione rose and went to sit beside him, she took his hand in hers.

"It's over now, you did it." she said. "At least we know that Draco will face justice for what he did to Ron."

"Kingsley and Severus took him to the ministry, I went with Lucius to St Mungos. I waited until the guards showed up and then I came straight here, I knew you would be waiting."

"You look exhausted, do you want to get your head down for a while?" she offered.

"No, I best get back Ginny and Molly are waiting for news too." Harry wearily rose from the sofa. "I just had to come tell you first."

Hermione stood and hugged Harry. She moved her head from his shoulder and gently placed her lips to his.

"Thank you, for everything." She smiled a gentle smile, their eyes met in a mutual understanding. "For Ron."

"For Ron." Harry answered.

She watched as he disappeared into the flames of the floo. Maybe now it was time to move on.


	9. Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 9

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

Hermione shifted uncomfortably on the hard wooden bench, she had been waiting for a while now. She was all alone in the room Ginny had been torn between staying with Hermione and going home with her distraught mother. Finally Hermione had convinced her that Molly needed her more but right about now she was starting to regret being on her own.

The cold black tiles on the walls, the lack of any decoration and the fact the small room had no window was starting to make her feel claustrophobic. She glanced at her watch, Harry had been gone for over half an hour. She had no idea how much longer she would have to wait but she knew that she had to be there for him.

She was deep inside the Ministry having spent the morning first in Lucius's trial, closely followed by Draco's. The two trials could not have been more different, Lucius's one was just like they were going through the motions. Harry had warned Hermione that they thought Lucius had called in a few old debts and had managed to get all charges apart from aiding and abetting a known criminal dropped. In the end he had gotten away with a hefty fine and a six month spell in Azkaban.

Draco had not benefitted from his father's dealings, it had been impossible for Lucius to obtain any leniency toward him. The story had been plastered all over the front of The Prophet every day and Draco denying nothing meant that the case against him was pretty cut and dried. The trial had been brief with all the evidence being produced and not challenged by Draco. Hermione had hoped that Severus would have been present to give evidence but because it was a cut and dried case his evidence had been presented as a written statement taken under veratiserum.

No one in the court room had been surprised when the guilty verdict had been pronounced but there had been a few gasps when the dementors kiss had been meted out as Draco's punishment. Draco had never looked up throughout the trail but Hermione was sure that he had smiled when his fate was read out.

The door opened and Hermione turned to see a very ashen-faced Harry enter the room.

"It's done!" His voice was flat and unemotional. "Can we get out of here? I need some fresh air."

Hermione grabbed her coat and bag from the bench and followed Harry out of the room. They made their way out of the building and crossed the road to a small park, finding a bench they settled down.

"You should not have gone in, you know how the dementors affect you!" Concern for her friend obvious in her tone.

"I had to." Harry turned to her. "I just felt it was the last thing I could do for Ron, he would have done it for me."

Hermione reached for Harry's hand, her small fingers laced through his as she squeezed it. They sat together silently, watching as life carried on around them.

A dog started barking drawing her gaze to a clump of trees nearby. As she watched it bound into view, she noticed a tall dark figure walking behind it. Her body stiffened as she tried to get a clearer look at the man. He finally emerged from the trees, walking into the sunshine of the open grass between them. It was not Severus.

Disappointment flowed through her body, how could she have thought it would be him? Sighing she mentally chastised herself, how could she be hoping to see him, today of all days.

"You thought it was Severus, didn't you?" said Harry. "Why is it so important for you to see him?"

"I don't know, it just is." she replied. "I hate how things were left between us, if I could just tell him that none of that matters anymore."

"But you only had a few meetings with him," he said "it is not like you were seeing each other."

"I know but there was a connection there, I'm sure there was. It was like what you have with Ginny, you cannot say what it is but it is all consuming when you are with that person. I've never felt that before."

"Are you saying you didn't love Ron?" Harry sounded shocked at what she had just said.

"No, I loved Ron. I always will but with him it was different, it was safe..comfy..familiar." she tried to explain. "With Severus it's different, I couldn't fight my attraction to him."

"I find it difficult to think anyone could be attracted to him." he said. " I know what he did for us but all I remember is him being a complete git to us at school. Please tell me you didn't have those feelings for him back then?"

"God, no!" Hermione chuckled.

"I know he was Dumbledore's man but did he have to enjoy punishing us so much?" Harry said.

"Oh!" Hermione let go of Harry's hand and stood up. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

"What?" He stood up and walked in front of her.

"I have to go, Harry. I'll talk to you later." Hurriedly she hugged him and apparated with the vision of a very confused Harry being the last thing she saw.


	10. A Last Hope

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 10

A LAST HOPE

Hermione appeared in the only uncluttered part of Hagrid's hut, glancing around she was relieved to see that he was not home. As much as she loved to see him she did not really need to be held up right now. They had asked Minerva if they could set up the secure apparation point so that she, Ron and Harry could visit Hagrid when they wanted.

Quickly leaving the hut, she made her way up the hill toward the school. The tall towers stood proud against the clear blue sky, anyone seeing it now would never have known the extent of the destruction that had happened there. The amount of work they had done to restore it to its former glory had been extensive.

Hermione realised as she climbed up the hill that it had been nearly six years since she had been inside it. The last time she had been in there had been for the memorial service for the fallen, just after the war ended. They had been to see Hagrid countless times but they had always stayed in his home. She wondered why none of them had ever suggested going up to the school on one of their visits. Perhaps it would have been too hard or maybe the attention they would have received just by being there would have been too much.

Looking at the clock tower before she went in, she was grateful to see that the students would be in lessons now so hopefully the corridors would be relatively quiet. As she made her way to the Headmistresses office the memories started flooding back to her. Passing by some of the places they would have frequented, ghostly voices floated around in her head. Each of them bringing up a memory of a conversation or an argument and even laughter. Despite everything that they had gone through there still had been lots of good times and laughter.

She stopped in front of the gargoyle, hoping that Minerva would be in her office.

"Sherbet lemons" saying the password out loud the stone statue began to rotate. One of the first things Minerva had done when she took the post of headmistress was to reinstate a password that was a tribute to the former headmaster. She had also vowed that while ever she held the post it would remain the same, she wanted her door to always be open to staff and students alike.

Knocking on the large oak door at the top of the stairs Hermione heard the soft, lilting tones of her former head of house.

"Come in." She pushed open the door. Minerva was sat behind a large desk, the latest edition of The Prophet in front of her. Hermione could see the fate of Draco was splashed on the front page, they had wasted no time in getting the news out.

"Hermione, my dear girl." Minerva rose from the desk and approached her, taking her hands in hers. "Such a terrible, terrible business, I've just been reading all about it. How are you coping?"

"I'm glad that it is all over, now maybe we can all finally start to move on." Hermione gave a small smile.

"Yes, we have to learn to live with the pain but life can't stop." Minerva moved back towards her desk. "I presume that there is a reason I am seeing you today, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I may have a word with Professor Dumbledore." Hermione glanced up at the portrait of the former headmaster sleeping on his chair.

"Ah! I see. Albus, you have a visitor." Minerva turned to the portrait. "Stop pretending to be asleep. I know you are listening. Now Hermione I will leave you to have a chat while I go organise some tea and sandwiches."

"No, please don't bother on my account." Hermione replied as she shook her head.

"I won't take no for an answer, my dear. You look like you need a good feed and it will give us a chance for a proper catch up." She gently squeezed Hermione's arm as she passed her and left the room.

"Has she gone?" Dumbledore slowly opened one of his eyes. "Now then Miss Granger, what can I do for you?"

Hermione smiled at the fact Dumbledore called her by the name he would have done at school. It seemed appropriate as he would always be Professor Dumbledore to her, she could not imagine calling him by his first name.

"I need to find Professor Snape and I was wondering if you might have any ideas of where I could look for him." She said.

"I take it, seeing how you have come to me, he is not at Spinner's End?" He looked at her over the top of his spectacles.

"No, that is the first place I went. It is virtually derelict, no one has lived there in years." she replied

"Are you sure my dear, appearances can sometimes be misleading?"

"I am very sure, I did a series of detailed sweeps over the house and I detected that no magic had been used there for about four years." Hermione explained. "Everything I could think of that may lead me to him has been a dead end. I even went to the library to check his card out and the address was blank. He must have used some kind of delayed concealment charm on it."

"I'm afraid, my dear girl, if a man with Severus abilities doesn't want to be found he won't be found. You may have to accept that you will never find him."

"Is there nothing you can recall that may help me. Anywhere you used to meet or someone I could ask?" Hermione was desperate and as far as she could see Dumbledore was her only hope.

"Severus was always available to me, if I needed him he came to me." Dumbledore looked at her kindly. "The only other person I could think of that may be able to help you has just been incarcerated in Azkaban."

"Lucius?" She knew that there was no way that Lucius would ever speak to her about anything.

Perhaps Dumbledore was right she should give up looking, Severus obviously did not want to see her. Harry had told him she wanted to see him and she had heard nothing from him. Maybe it was time for her to give up?


	11. An Insignificant Detail

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 11

AN INSIGNIFICANT DETAIL

After spending a couple of hours with Minerva, Hermione had returned home. She had actually had a nice time hearing about all the things that had been going on at the school. They had also had a walk down to Luna and Neville's quarters to see their new baby daughter. Having people to talk to had stopped her mind from wandering to the situation with Severus.

Now she was alone however it was the only thing she could think about. She did not want to give up on finding him but she was at a loss, everything she had tried had failed. She could try to visit Lucius in the hope that he would talk to her but that was a very slim chance after what had happened. She did not know if she would be able to take the disappointment at another dead-end, so should she give up in the hope that Severus would contact her.

She wandered around the house trying to think of something to do to take her mind from what she should do next. Entering her bedroom she turned on the radio and a haunting piano melody played, a rich, smooth male voice began to sing...

"It's a constant fight to get through each day and night.

It's a war between the present and the past.

And the face that's in your mind every time you close your eyes.

What's the reason, what's the answer, how long will this last?"

So I'm not holding back the tears anymore

tryin' escape the heartache, tryin' escape emotion

No I'm not holding back the tears anymore

Yesterday's my memory reminding me of all the times I depended on you."

She sat down on the edge of the bed and listened while the song washed over her, tears spilling down her cheeks. She could not decide if the tears were for Ron or for Severus but whoever it was for she finally succumbed to her emotions.

Laying on the bed as the sobs wracked through her body, all the pent up feelings from the past few weeks finally overflowed. Eventually she began to gather herself together, she knew that she was in no fit state to decide what she should do next. She would try to sleep and decide in the morning whether she would go and see Lucius.

She woke after a poor night of tossing and turning, she had only slept on and off through the night. At some point she had remembered how she had left Harry and she realised that she needed to give him an explaination. Getting out of bed and going into the en-suite, she was going to shower then contact him to see what he thought would be the best way forward.

Noticing that her shower gel was empty she opened the bathroom cabinet and started to rummage through for a new bottle. She was frustrated when she realised that she had run out. All she could find was an unopened gift set, that had probably come from Molly for Christmas or a birthday. She opened the box and took out the shower gel, on opening the bottle a very strong floral fragrance emanated from it.

The aroma took her back to her Grandmother's house, it smelled of honeysuckle and something she could not quiet place. Examining the ingredients on the label it stated that the main ingredients were honeysuckle and Scottish heather. Hermione gasped she remembered the conversation she had shared with Severus in the tea shop.

He had mentioned that he was going to go and gather some flowers from the wood behind his home, the book he had taken from the library was on rare Scottish plants. She racked her brain trying to remember what the flower he had talked about had been called.

Rushing downstairs to her computer, she switched it on.

"Come on, come on." she said, as she paced up and down impatiently waiting for it to boot up.

When it finally came on she sat down and began to search, it only took a few clicks to lead her to a list of rare plants. Scrolling down the list none of the plants rang a bell until she had nearly got to the bottom of the list. The name Twinflower jumped out at her and she was sure that that had been the one Severus had mentioned.

It took her about an hour of delving further but at the end of it she had a list of possible locations where she could look for Severus. She could hardly believe her luck as she narrowed down the number of properties that were located by woods. She would start with the remote ones first as she could not imagine Severus living in a village.

Armed with her list she quickly grabbed some food and drinks from the kitchen, stuffing them in a bag she apparated to the first location.

Hermione appeared just inside of a wood on top of a small hill. She cast a notice-me-not charm over herself and stepped out from between the trees. She looked down onto a stone cottage sat against the edge of a heavily wooded forest. It was surrounded by a stone wall, the garden was split into two parts by a path that lead to the front door. One side was a typical lawned garden the other was given over to what looked like a vegetable plot and herb garden.

A dirt path led from a small side gate, meandering down to where it split in two directions. One path forked off and followed what looked like a cliff path that Hermione presumed went to the village a couple of miles down the coast. The other dipped down into a small sandy cove, protected by huge black rocks on either side.

The calm sea glinted in the warm sunshine Hermione wondered what it would be like on a stormy day. She had always preferred it at the coast when the weather was rough. She could remember her father getting her out of bed saying that it was one of their wave dodging days. They would travel to the coast, wrapping up warm they would walk along the promenade trying to avoid the huge waves crashing over the sea wall. They would finish in their favourite fish and chip shop that over looked the harbour. It had been hard for Hermione she missed her parents, after the war they had begged her to join them in Australia but she had chosen her life with Ron.

A trail of white smoke rose from its chimney standing out against the clear blue sky. The smoke was a good sign, at least she knew that the property was occupied. This was the eighth one she had visited, so far three had been ruins, two were what looked like working farms and the other three had been holiday cottages. Casting a comfort charm she sat on the grass and waited for some sign as to who was in there.

She had been waiting for at least an hour before the door to the cottage opened. She held her breath as she watched Severus step through the door, barely believing that it was him she was seeing. He was wearing what looked like jeans and a plain black t shirt, it made him look different but it was definitely him. He was carrying a garden trug, making his way to the far end of the garden he knelt with his back to her.

She gathered her things together and started to make her way toward the cottage. Her stomach was full of butterflies as she headed down the hill. She had no idea as to what reception she would get from him but there was no way that she was going home without at least trying to talk to him.

Reaching the cottage she opened the gate and entered the garden, Severus never turned to look to see who had come to see him even though he must have heard the gate. Hermione wanted to call his name but her mouth had gone dry, so she made her way toward him in silence.

"You better have a damn good reason to be here because if you don't you are going to find yourself in the middle of Glasgow, not knowing why, how or what you are doing there." He spoke without turning around. "Do not think of trying to curse me behind my back, now you are within these walls your magic is useless. Mine however is working perfectly, so do not give me a reason to use it."

"Hello Severus." Hermione said, with more confidence than she actually felt. She noticed his back straighten and he completely stopped what he was doing. "You really are going to have to work on your hospitality, you know."


	12. Love or Lust?

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

CHAPTER 12

LOVE OR LUST?

Hermione watched as Severus slowly rose to his feet and turned to face her. She searched his face for any indication of how he was feeling at seeing her there but all she was greeted with was a unemotional facade. It immediately took her back to her years at Hogwarts where they had never seen any other expression on Severus's face than the one she was looking at now.

"You are a very hard man to find, Severus." she said.

"Obviously not as hard as it should be." He sneered. "As you seem to have managed it."

"Yes, it took some time but here I am." Hermione had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach, this was not going well.

"What do you want, Hermione?" he asked.

"Well, right about now I could use your toilet, I've been waiting a while" She smiled at him trying to lighten the mood. He stared at her for a few seconds, as if weighing up whether to allow her to go into his home.

"Very well, follow me." He strode past her, quickly leaving her behind and headed to the cottage. She hurried after him catching up as he stepped into the house, he turned and indicated to a closed door.

Hermione entered the room closing the door behind her, she leant back against the wall her heart was beating so fast, this had to work. She had been worried that what she had felt for him before Draco had attacked her may have gone but seeing Severus again all the overwhelming feelings she had felt were still there. If she could just get him to let her through the shield he had put up, she was sure that they would be able to sort things out.

Leaving the toilet she made her way to the kitchen where she could see Severus filling a kettle at the sink. The room was dominated by a large pine table in the middle, the white cupboards were topped with pine work surfaces. From what she could see everything in the room had a purpose but there was no decoration or pictures.

The only thing that looked out of place was a plant box on the window sill, in it were the prettiest flowers Hermione had ever seen. The stems rose from the soil and split into to two shoots, from each one hung a delicate, pale lilac flower. She recognised them straight away as the Twinflower that had led her to Severus.

"I'm making tea, I hope that is alright?" He had his back to her as he prepared the cups.

That's fine, thanks." she could feel the tension coming from him, making her feel awkward at what she should say next.

"How do you take it?" He asked.

"Milk, no sugar." she replied. He turned to go to the fridge behind her, his eyes downcast never looking at her. As he passed by she impulsively reached out and grasped his hand. He stopped beside her, his gaze resting on their joined hands.

"It really is good to see you, Severus." she said.

"Even after what I did?" his voice barely above a whisper. "I let you down, Hermione. I foolishly thought my friendship with Lucius meant more than it did. I let my guard down with him and he took advantage of that."

"But Severus I let you down too. I was hurt, angry and scared that night, I lashed out at you and I am truly sorry for that." She watched his face wishing that he would just look at her. "I knew the next day that I needed to speak to you but you would not answer any of my messages. Why did you ignore me?"

"You deserve better than me, you need someone who you can depend on. I am not worthy of that honour." he explained.

Hermione's heart melted at his words, how could he of all people feel he was not worthy of her. Daringly she raised her hand to his cheek, her thumb gently rubbed over his cheekbone.

"It's not up to you to decide what is right for me and what is not. All I know is the last few weeks have been hell not being able to see you, to not know where you are." She tried to make him see how much he had come to mean to her in such a short time. "Severus, look at me. Trust me we can put all this behind us, I need you in my life. I need to be with you."

He brought his hand to his cheek and covered hers, wrapping his fingers around hers. He turned his head, his gaze finally found hers. The mask that had been there before was now replaced by a look of hope.

His eyes darkened as he placed his lips to her palm and gently kissed it. Her heart beat quickened as she lost herself in the depths of his eyes. She had no idea why he made her feel as if they were the only two people in the world, but right now he was all that mattered to her. She knew that she was strong enough to resist the urge to fall into his arms but why should she deny herself, she had waited long enough.

She took the small step toward him, her arms reaching around his neck as he brought his head down toward her while pulling her close to his body. Their lips met and all rational thought left Hermione's head as she allowed the passion she was experiencing to take over her completely.

His tongue explored every inch of her mouth as she lost herself in the delicious sensations flowing through her body. His hands reached down as he lifted her from the floor, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Manoeuvring around he kicked the chair from the end of the table and placed her on the edge. His mouth never leaving hers he slowly lowered her down until she felt the hard surface of the table underneath her back.

He traced his fingers up her arms, taking her hands he pinned them above her head. Entwining the long fingers of one hand around her wrists his free hand travelled down and began to slowly unfasten the buttons on the front of her dress. His fingertips brushed against her bare skin as he pushed her dress aside, leaving a tingle where he had touched. He hooked his fingers underneath her bra as he tried to lift it above her breasts. Failing he raised himself slightly from her body, his mouth leaving hers as he muttered under his breath. The sudden feel of the heat from his skin against hers as their clothes vanished made her gasp.

Severus stilled as he looked down between their bodies. she could not make out the expression on his face. She waited for him to move or say anything but he did not move. Hermione began to feel self-conscious as he continued looking at her body.

"Severus, you're staring at me." she said.

"Of course I am." his voice heavy with emotion, "You are beautiful."

He lowered his head and started to place light kisses around one of her nipples, which had hardened in anticipation.

"Oh! Severus, please." she arched her back as she hungered for more. She heard a deep, throaty chuckle before he finally took her nipple in to his mouth, sucking and nipping at its stiffened peak.

Waves of pleasure pulled at her , she wrapped her legs tightly around him hooking her feet together. Her wet core pushing against his erection, lubricating it as she ground up and down his length.

All she wanted was for him to be inside of her, now was not the time for taking things slow. She struggled trying to free her wrists, she needed more, she needed to feel his skin, to run her fingers over his body to drink in every inch of his body. A groan of frustration escaped her lips, stopping his assault on her nipple Severus's lips returned to her mouth silencing her.

He let go of her hands and she brought them down, she reached around him her fingers traced the scars along his back. She pulled him closer with her legs, breaking away from his kiss.

"I need you." she breathed into his mouth. "Now!"

Severus straightened up, his eyes locked with hers as he took hold of her legs and pulled her back to the edge of the table. Taking his erection in his hand, he positioned himself at her entrance, slowly he pushed inside her. Holding her breath she relished the feeling as he steadily filled her, her walls grasping and pulling him in until he could go no further.

Hermione sighed with pleasure as he began to thrust, her hips finding and matching his rhythm with ease. His hands gripped her waist as he plunged deep inside of her, she tightened around him as he stroked faster. He pushed her closer and closer to the edge, her back arched from the table and she moaned as she let herself go to the oncoming release.

Her breathing was ragged and her body felt more alive with every thrust he made. The pleasure rippling through her body grew stronger, he leant in and began to kiss her his tongue exploring her mouth. She knew that she could not hold on much longer, praying that he would be ready too.

The pressure was building inside and she felt his body shudder, she angled her hips trying to pull him deeper. Severus groaned as his thrusts became erratic and she finally let go. Wave after wave of ecstasy flowed through her body as she stiffened and began to shudder, with a powerful orgasm. Hermione called out his name as her climax shot through her body, taking him with her as she felt him pulsing inside of her as he found his own release.

Still joined together they lay trembling on the table, their bodies covered in a sheen of perspiration. Severus propped himself up on his elbows and placed the gentlest of kisses Hermione had ever received. Reaching up she brushed his long hair from his face.

"I don't know what this is between us, whether its lust that will fizzle out or if it could develop into something more but I'm willing to try if you are?" She smiled up at him, praying that he wanted more too.

He withdrew from her and stood up sweeping her off the table into his arms, he made his way from the kitchen and began to climb the stairs.

"Severus?" she asked "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm sure it won't but if this is going to fizzle out," he explained "I'm going to make the most of it while I can."

Entering his bedroom, he kicked the door closed behind them.


	13. Epilogue

**All things Harry Potter belong to J. K. Rowling.**

**A.N. I would just like to thank all of you lovely readers who have continued to follow and review this story. I honestly believed after seeing some of the fantastic stories on here that no one would ever be bothered with my feeble attempts but you have all made an older woman very happy.  
**

**Originally when I began this story it was going to be much longer but before Christmas I lost my wonderful father and have not felt like doing any writing. I decided to publish what I have already written then when I begin writing again I will upload the sequel because we all know that Lucius would seek revenge on our happy couple.**

**Once again Thank you so much for reading :o)**

WHERE LOVE BLOOMS

EPILOGUE

Hermione stood washing dishes looking out of the kitchen window as she saw Severus making his way along the cliff path toward home. It had been nearly two years since she had first visited the cottage, now it was like a second home to her. They had fallen into a routine of spending weekdays at her house but as soon as she finished work they would retreat to the seclusion the cottage provided.

She loved the time they spent up there Severus would work for part of the time, the rest they would spend together. Her favourite thing was going to the cove, in the summer they would picnic down there and in the winter they would stand on the beach watching the sea. Even though she would be wrapped up warm Severus would stand behind her pulling his cloak around her. She would lean back against his body, resting her head back as they watched the waves crash to shore.

It had been a great relief to her that everyone had accepted that they were together, Molly and Arthur had welcomed him with open arms into their extended family. On occasions when they all got together Molly would fuss around Severus who would put on a show of irritation but Hermione suspected that he secretly enjoyed it.

She watched as Severus neared the gate, he raised his hand in greeting as he spotted her at the window. The arrangement had worked well for both of them, it was just lately that Hermione had felt that a change was needed.

She heard the front door close and Severus came into the kitchen and stopped at the table

"That buffoon of a man in the apothecary shop has messed up my order again, I have no boom slang skin." He began unloading packages from his pockets, unshrinking them and placing them on the table. "Remind me to pick some up when we are back in town."

She picked up a towel and dried her hands as she turned round.

"A hello would have been nice." she said smiling at him.

"Ahh! Yes, very remiss of me." Smiling back at her, he walked over and taking her in his arms he kissed her.

"Hello Hermione." As he looked into her eyes her heart swelled. "Better?"

"Oh, yes much better." she replied. He returned to the table, she watched as he continued to empty his pockets.

"Severus, are you happy?" she asked.

"That's a very strange question, Hermione." He stopped what he had been doing to look at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine but I've been thinking lately..." she hesitated, unsure of how he would react. "What would you say if I suggested selling my house and we move up here permanently?"

"What about your job?" he asked with a perplexed look on his face.

"Now you have finally let me have the internet up here, I thought I might help you." she watched him closely as she hoped that he would like the idea. "I could research into the muggle side of the plants."

Hermione knew that he would be weighing things up in his mind but she was hoping that he would see the benefits.

"I'm sure that it would keep me busy and you would have much more data to work with. Plus you know we love it up here, I've always thought it would be a wonderful place to bring up children." she nervously rambled on as she waited for a reply.

"You're not...are you? I thought we were taking precautions?" His eyes flicked to her stomach with a questioning gaze.

"No, I'm not." she replied hurriedly. "But is it something you might consider?"

It seemed like an eternity passed as they stood in silence, eventually without saying a word Severus turned and left the room.

"Damn!" Hermione cursed as she turned back to the window. She had gone about that all wrong, she had pushed him too far, too fast. She had not meant to mention the fact she had been thinking that the time was right for them to consider having a child. She felt so stupid, they had never really discussed their future and here she was hitting him with the bombshell of children.

She jumped as she felt his hand on her shoulder, she had never heard him re-enter the room. His other hand placed a dark green velvet ring box on the counter in front of her.

"I had this commissioned a while ago, I was not sure that this was what you wanted but with what you have just said I think we should do things properly, don't you?" She picked up the box and opened it, nestling on a plump cushion was the most exquisite ring she had ever seen. A solitaire diamond shone bright against the velvet, the delicate filigree of the decoration on the side of the crown depicted a lion and a snake.

"I realise that I can be a difficult man to live with Hermione but you have made me complete. You have just offered to me a life that I have only ever dreamed of." He turned her to face him. "If you let me I will spend the rest of my days in trying to bring you nothing but happiness."

Her eyes filled with tears, looking at him she could clearly see his love for her burning brightly back at her .

"You already do, my darling." she said.


End file.
